Means for drying briquets



B. BAKER.

MEANS FOR DRYING BRIQUETS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20.1911.

| l I I I Y I I ll Patented Dec. 9,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I N EH B. BAKER.

MEANS FOR DRYING BRIQUETS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 20,1911.

Patented Dec. 9, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

lime/liar UNITED STATES PATENT oFEIoE.

nunKE BAKER, or nons'ron, TEXAS, .essrenon TO AMERICAN .BaIoUEr COMPANY, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

MEANS FOR DRYING BRIQUETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom z'zima'y concern: 0

Be it known that I, BURKE BAKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harris, State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Means for Drying Briquets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in method and means for drying .or removing moisture from briquets. The object is to provide an improved method and dev ce operating continuously for removing moisture from various substances as, for example, fuel briquets.

The invention comprises method and means whereby the drying agent is apphed to the briquets so that said agent in 1ts driest or most effective state is applied to the briquets as the same approaches the final stage of the drying operation, and so that said agent passes through and from the briquets finally in its less effective state as the fresh undried briquets come within the influence thereof in the earlier stages of drying and whereby the briquets are operated upon with the minimum of damage thereto.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate merely by way of example suitable means for effecting my invention- Figure 1 1s a plan view.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section.

Fig. 3 is a detail elevation, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is a plan View of same.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on .line 5, 5 of Fig. 1.

Similar numerals refer to similar throughout the several views.

In chamber 7 is provided a air of endless chains 8 carried on the sproc ets 9 and 9, driven by suitable means not shown. These chains carry a plurality'of hinged sections forming continuous upper and lower screens between said sprockets.

These sections 12 are pivoted at their front ends to the chains 8 and are held normally in horlzontal posi tion by extensions 13 from their rear. ends overlying the tracks 10 and 11, except at points adjacent the sprockets, where they are permitted by the track formations to assume the inclined position, to permit the discharge of the stock from the upper screen to the lower screen before passing about the sprockets 9 at one end of the chamber, and to permit the stock to pass from the lower parts screen to a conveyer 20 at the other end of the chamb r. That is to say, as a section 12 reaches a position over the inclined shelf 14 the rear end of said section is permitted to descend by the inclined track formations 15 so as to discharge upon shelf 14 from whence the stock .discharges onto shelf 17 and from shelf 17 discharges onto the lower screen 11'. After passing shelf 17 sections 12 assume the perpendicular position as the endless chains travel about the sprockets 9. After passing about the sprockets 9 these sectionsv 12 engage the inclined track sections ,18, which lift the rear end of each section 12 to bring the section back into the horizontal position thereby forming a portion of' the lower screen 11. As each section approaches sprockets 9', the track formations 19 permit the rear end of a section to descend to discharge the stock onto the conveyer 20 and as the section passes around and over sprockets 9, similar inclinedtrack formations 21 bring each section '12 back to the horizontal position.

The end of the chamber 7 in which is located the carrier 20 is connected with a furnace 24 or other suitable source of hot dry air, which delivers beneath the screen 11, so that the same will pass along the chamber 7 beneath said screen 11', and upwardly through said screen 11' and the stock carried thereon and also through the screen 10 and the stock .carried thereon, to the opposite end of chamber 7, where the said air is exhausted by an exhaust-fan 22 or other suitable means. 1

In operation the briquets are delivered to the upper screen 10 by .the chute 23 or other suitable means. They are thencarried in the direction of the arrow horizontally to near the sprockets 9, where, as above described, they are discharged from each section by Way-of the oppositely inclined shelves 14 and 17 to the lower screen 11. Upon screen 11 the briquets pass in the direction of the arrow horizontally to the opposite end Patented Dec. 9, 1919.

of the chamber 7 to be discharged to the car;

rier or conveyer 20 leading to any suitable point.

It will be noted that the method of discharging the briquetsjfrom the upper screen 10 to the lower screen- 11 is peculiarly suited to partially dried fuel briquets so as to: prevent undue jarring or breaking of same;

It will be noted that as the hot dry air or other drying medium is introduced into chamf ber 7 it first comes in contact, in its driest and most eifective state, with the briquets which are about to be discharged to the con- 5 veyer 20, so that Whatever moisture is left in the briquets as they progress through the chamber is effectively removed before the same are delivered to the conveyer 20,

As this drying medium progresses through the chamber 7, it naturally absorbs moisture from the briquets as it passes through the same and is finally drawn out by the exhaust fan 22. In other words the drying is a progressive operation and the drying medium in its most saturate state leaves the chamber 7 at a point Where the briquets are only partially dried. V

The movement of the screen is so timed,

relatively to the passage of the drying medium through chamber 7, as to assure a completion of the drying of the briquets during the period required for the same to travel from their entrance into the chamber to their exit therefrom. It Will be obvious that the point or points at which the drying medium enters the 'chamber, may be varied, and the method or means for carrying the briquets through the chamber may also be varied Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

The essence of the invention is thatthe briquets are gradually moved through the chamber, in different planes and Without undue jarring and as a continuing operation, in a Way to be most effectually subjected to the action of the drying'agent, Which agent is also caused to move through the chamber relativel to the movement of the briquets, and the riquets encounter the drying agent in itsdriest state, just as they are about to leave the chamber.

What I claim is 1. Means for drying briquets comprising an inclosed chamber having suitable intake and discharge openings, means for moving the briquets in superimposed planes and in opposite directions comprising a plurality of screen elements forming a continuous conveyer in each plane, means for supporting and moving said conveyer, means for gradually tilting each screen element near the end of its travel in the first plane to cause a sliding discharge of its contents to the lower plane and means for causing a flow of drying agent through said chamber.

2. Means for drying briquets comprising an inclosed chamber having suitable intake and discharge openings, means for moving the briquets in superimposed planes and in opposite directions comprising a plurality of screen elements forming a continuous conveyer in each plane, means for supporting and moving said conveyer, means for gradually tilting each screen element near the end of its travel in the first plane to cause a discharge of its contents,'means for direct- ,ing said discharged contents in oppositely directed inclined paths of travel in stepped relation and means for causing a flow of drying agent through said chamber.

BURKE BAKER. 

